Entwistle tricked by US prison gang

University of York graduate and convicted double murderer Neil Entwistle has been tricked into shaving his head in an attempt to secure the protection of a white supremacist prison gang, according to reports in the Boston Herald.

Entwistle, who graduated from York in 2002 with a Masters Degree in Electronic Engineering, was convicted in June 2008 of murdering his wife and nine-month old baby daughter and is serving two concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole in Massachusetts.

Officials at the maximum security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Centre have confirmed that Entwistle was receiving death threats from other prisoners. He was reportedly assured by prison gang members that he would be guaranteed their protection if he shaved his head as a gesture of solidarity.

A security official at the Correctional Centre, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “The non-white inmates were threatening him, calling him a ‘baby-killer’. Then the white inmates eventually convinced him that the only way he was going to have any safety is if he joined up with them.”

Entwistle complied, shaving his scalp with a plastic safety razor, only to be told by the inmates that it s “was a nice gesture, but we’re gonna kill you too”. The source inside the correctional facility said that Entwistle “seems to have been very easily manipulated”.

The former York student is in custody in the Souza-Baranowski’s protective custody wing for a minimum of two years after which he may be moved to a lower security facility.

Entwistle, who turned 30 last week, has recently changed lawyers in his uphill bid to overturn the two concurrent life sentences. He continues to maintain his innocence.
Entwistle was found guilty of murdering his wife Rachel and daughter, Lilly. He met Rachel while a student at the University.